Hikmet Karaman

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Lore & Background

Hikmet Karaman's coaching career is marked by rescue missions and cup glory. In 2001, he returned to Kocaelispor, who had only 9 points in 16 games, and completed the season with 41 points. He then defeated Galatasaray 3–2 in Istanbul and won the 2001–02 Turkish Cup by beating Beşiktaş 4–0 in the final, earning a UEFA Cup spot. During that season's preparatory camp, his team defeated Arsenal 4–1. At Kayserispor in 2004, he took over a team with only 2 points in 7 weeks and got only 4 losses in 17 games in the second half to save them from relegation. At Ankaraspor, he helped a team with 3 points in 9 games and no wins stay in the Super League. In 2008, he led Antalyaspor to promotion from the second division. At Manisaspor in 2010, he took over with 0 points after four games and finished with 41 points, including victories against The Big Three.

In Their Own Story

Hikmet Karaman's Kocaelispor faced Beşiktaş, coached by Christoph Daum. The score was 4–0, a jaw-dropping victory that secured the cup and a place in the UEFA Cup. Earlier that season, during a preparatory camp, his team had defeated Arsenal, coached by Arsène Wenger, with a remarkable score of 4–1. These moments defined a manager who could lift underdogs to stunning heights.

Reader's Guide

Hikmet Karaman's managerial career is built on turning around struggling teams. At Kocaelispor in 2001, he took a team with 9 points in 16 games and finished with 41 points, then won the Turkish Cup. At Kayserispor in 2004, he inherited a team with 2 points in 7 weeks and saved them from relegation with only 4 losses in 17 games. At Ankaraspor, he took over a winless team with 3 points in 9 games and kept them in the Super League. At Antalyaspor in 2008, he led the team to promotion from the second division. At Manisaspor in 2010, he took over with 0 points after four games and finished with 41 points, including wins against The Big Three. He also coached Çaykur Rizespor for 128 matches over three seasons until 2017. On 18 October 2024, he was appointed head coach of Moldovan club Zimbru Chisinau.

Did You Know?

• Hikmet Karaman holds a UEFA Pro-License and can speak German at an advanced level and English at an elementary level.
• He played as a striker, midfielder, and left-back in his playing career, starting in the junior category of Kocaelispor.
• While in Germany, he served as a trainer-player for Berlin Turkspor 1965, winning the A Liga and Landes Liga championships and raising the team to the German third division.
• He received his C, B, and A licenses at the Köln Hennef Sportschule, with lecturers including Holger Osieck and Berti Vogts.
• In the 1995–96 season as assistant coach at Galatasaray, the team played against IFK Göteborg, Manchester United, and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.